Chapter 147: Separation of Military and Civil Administration

Early the next morning, when Guo Yuan set up a formal office sign in front of the Baron’s Manor square, a group of middle-aged women from Daming Village quickly gathered around.

“My Lord, my child is right here. Can we get a piece of land?”

“My Lord, I also brought my child. Please take a look first. He is only eight years old. Can he be sent to the Academy?”

“My Lord, my child is still in my womb, but I am about to give birth. Can our family also receive two mu of land?”

“My Lord, My Lord…”

The noisy chatter was not much different from a market. For these refugees who had once lost their homes, the chance to own their own land again was enough to keep them awake all night.

Guo Yuan looked at the dozens of village women chattering around him, and a hint of helplessness flashed across his face. But he quickly calmed down, raised his hands, and signaled the crowd to be quiet: “Everyone listen to me, everyone listen to me. As long as everyone is willing and meets the selection requirements for this round, you can all get land. However, regarding the reclamation and use of this batch of land, I have some reminders that I must tell you first.”

“First, this time Daming Village will only provide three thousand mu of land to be divided among you. Each household can receive between two and five mu of land. You can decide exactly how much you need.”

“Second, once the land is divided and determined, you must reclaim it within the set time. If you fail to reclaim it and the land remains abandoned, I will return all the land to my Lord on his behalf. In the future, no new land will be given for such land planning.”

“Finally, each mu of land is divided to you by Daming Village, and you are all the owners of the land you received. However, your rights to own this land are only valid for five years. After five years, the arrangement will be adjusted. At that time, you can choose not to keep the land and return it to Daming Village, or you can increase the amount of land you hold based on the situation.”

“These are the important matters you must remember. As for other minor details, you can now come and talk to me one by one. No more pushing or making a noise, or I will cancel your right to receive land.”

Once the important matters were stated, especially after that final warning was spoken, the whole scene immediately fell silent.

After about four or five breaths, a village woman standing next to Guo Yuan mustered up the courage to speak first: “My Lord, how will we divide the land? Can we get the wasteland by that mountain stream?”

As a farmer’s wife, she asked the right question.

Having land was a good thing, and reclaiming it oneself was fine, but there was one very important thing.

Water source!

Only near a water source would the crops be easy to grow. If it was too far, just fetching water would tire people out.

As a key minister of the Wei Army’s agricultural settlement system, Guo Yuan also understood farming well and had considered this point long ago. He immediately explained: “You all do not need to worry about this. Once the reclamation area is determined, I will order people to dig canals and bring water. I will ensure everyone has convenient access to water.”

His explanation made the questioning woman very satisfied. With Guo Yuan’s assurance, she did not need to worry about the distance from the mountain stream and could still carefully choose the fertile soil within the valley.

Next, the village women asked questions one by one. Guo Yuan answered fluently. No matter what strange questions these women asked, he had a fairly satisfactory answer for each of them. It seemed that he had not been troubled much by similar issues during the initial agricultural settlement.

“My Lord, since Zini has arrived, Daming Village can become even more prosperous again.” At the front of the square, Li Ji looked at Guo Yuan, who was surrounded by the crowd, with a full smile.

He said this with absolute sincerity. Before, serving as the Deputy Village Head of Daming Village, Li Ji had been busy here and there. The burden on his shoulders was no lighter than Mo Xiaobai’s. But these civil affairs were not actually his personal preference. He still preferred to study his Military Strategy Books and spend time with the Soldiers.

Daming Village had lacked man power before, so him stepping up was a necessary last resort.

Now things were better. Guo Yuan started taking charge of governing Daming Village. Li Ji felt that he could hand over all those affairs to the other man. If he had not seen that Guo Yuan was too busy, today’s matter of welcoming the Refugees, he would have even proposed to his Lord to hand it all over to Guo Yuan.

Li Ji’s thoughts were actually clear to Mo Xiaobai, who stood beside him. Seeing Li Ji’s look of complete relief, he jokingly said: “It seems I really worked Mao Gong hard for the past few months?”

“My Lord, you cannot say that. It is just that I am indeed not familiar with such civil affairs. Zini is different. He has rich experience and profound knowledge, enough to become your left and right arm in civil administration.”

Li Ji’s ability to judge people was not talked out of thin air. Although he had not had much contact with Guo Yuan, he could discover some facts through their sparse conversations that Mo Xiaobai would need to confirm by checking personal data.

“Enough, enough, no more joking. Actually, I have another big matter to tell you in advance.” Mo Xiaobai waved his hand while smiling, then spoke seriously: “You know, since the establishment of Daming Village, there has always been a separation of military and civil administration. From now on, I will gradually hand the civil affairs to Zini to coordinate. As for you, Mao Gong, I hope you will take full charge of the military affairs of Daming Village.”

“I am not just talking about the military power in a few Drill Grounds and Barracks. I also mean the selection of new recruits and the supervision of weapon production. In the future, there will also be our own large-scale military equipment. All these things must be under your control.”

“Besides these military affairs within the Territory, you must also maintain close contact and cooperation with Fengxiao. If he needs your help and I happen to be not in the Territory, you can take full responsibility for military mobilization. I only have one restriction for you: the maximum troop size in each mobilization must not exceed seventy percent of the Territory’s total Commander strength. Also, one War General must stay-behind to prevent the Territory from being empty.”

“Besides this, I do not want to interfere too much. Because I am very clear that you are much better than me in this field, just like I do not interfere with how Zini arranges this land planning. I need the best result. How the whole process is implemented, I will not rashly get involved. I suppose you would not be willing either if I only gave you the nominal command of troops without giving you any real power, right?”

Regarding military affairs, Mo Xiaobai had actually wanted to talk to Li Ji about this for a long time.

But before, Li Ji was busy managing all the affairs of the entire Territory. It was really too much to ask him to focus on military management. So Mo Xiaobai waited until today to say these words.

Fortunately, Li Ji had managed military affairs before, so he was not unfamiliar with these things; he just did not put all his focus on them. Now that Mo Xiaobai mentioned the “separation of military and civil administration,” he was actually happy to see it.

In the famous Zhenguan era he was familiar with, the Great Tang had maintained the system of military and civil separation. He clearly understood that to rectify military affairs and improve the combat power of the army, he needed to start from which aspects.

“My Lord, I will try my utmost to fulfill your great trust.”

Meeting a Lord who can value and dare to give power to a General is undoubtedly a happy thing for a General. Li Ji could not express his determination in words, but Mo Xiaobai knew that Li Ji’s heart was not calm at this moment.

Because right at this moment, Li Ji’s Loyalty value increased again, breaking through the 95 mark to reach 98 points.

And Li Ji was currently the only Historical Celebrity in Daming Village whose Loyalty was close to the maximum value.